Newly remastered, this electrifying performance from 1958 captures the raw power and rhythmic intensity of The Rite of Spring in what many consider its finest recording. Stravinsky himself was struck by the visceral excitement Bernstein created, in part by placing microphones close to many of the key instruments. Even the LP's cover, a shamanistic figure by Gray Foy, was spellbinding, reflecting the cathartic journey enacted by the two movements: Adoration of the Earth and The Sacrifice. As Debussy once remarked, "it haunts me like a beautiful nightmare."

"In its early years, reaction to The Rite focused upon the dissonant harmonies and sudden jumps between different types of music. Over time it came to be appreciated that the emancipation of rhythm as the principal driving force of the music was the true advance amid the searing power of this masterpiece. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about The Rite is that, despite endless imitations, it has lost none of its power."—1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die